On Memory and Humanity - Funeral for a Friend

When Gigwise meets Funeral For A Friend at Manchester Academy, they are in high spirits. Their new album is done and dusted and is presently sat on the studio mixing decks. Amongst the protruding mass of healthy ‘rider’ food, and gentle strumming of other bands’ guitars backstage, we chat to lead singer Matt Davies and bassist Gareth Davies about their new forthcoming album, called ‘Memory and Humanity’.

According to the band’s rather vague analogy, the album holds more than 5 songs but less than twenty. It features previously released tracks such as ‘Waterfront Dance Club’ and ‘Beneath the Burning Tree’ as well as new track ‘Can’t See the Forrest For the Wolves’. We comment on how the titles are very ‘Casually Dressed’ but Matt tells us, “They are very Memory and Humanity titles actually. Or very Funeral For A Friend.” Gareth adds, “Everyone keeps asking us to go back to ‘Casually Dressed’; why would we want to take a step back?” We say there’s a rumour doing the rounds that the new album is a return to the sound as exemplified on ‘Casually Dressed’. Matt says “It’s more of a nod than a digression; it’s more about the energy and excitement of making the first record again that we’ve kind of tapped into. There’s rifts, there’s quieter moments.” Gareth adds, “It’s kind of like a best of Funeral For a Friend without anyone hearing the songs before.”

FFAF had a very strange start to their careers. After producing two successful EPs they found themselves in a position where they were on the front cover of Kerrang magazine, with no full length to call their own (they were in fact the first band in Kerrang’s history to be on the front cover with no album released). Matt laughs, “Imagine coming from South Wales and the first cover you ever have your loaf (on the front cover) with your mouth wide open. It was the weirdest thing ever. Most bands have ten years to write their first record, we had six weeks.”

Gareth adds, “I am grateful for what that record did for us but I find it difficult to listen back to it, without thinking of all the pressure and shit we were under during that period. That record felt really rushed. Because the hype was building so quickly, we had to maintain it and get the record out as soon as possible. It was a pressure we put ourselves under. We sat there with management and thought, we have to get this record out as soon as we can. We had to write at least six fresh songs in six weeks.”  We speak to the band about the scene they came in on, when they first kicked off, “To an extent, we’ve always needed our fanbase and they’ve always been amazingly faithful to us,” says Gareth, “We need them now more than ever.”

FFAF are taking the same route as many other bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead and have decided to self-release their album, vehemently chopping Atlantic’s binding strings once and for all. We ask them why they have made this choice. “The state of the music industry at the moment is shocking.” Gareth says, “People at major labels are starting to just really not care about the music. It’s purely figures.” We talk about Atlantic who (IOHO) are one of the better major labels but FFAF are not impressed. “It’s not even just Atlantic. It’s just major labels across the board have signed so much shit to throw against the wall just to see if it sticks and then they wonder where all this money is being spent," says Gareth, "We thought we would be in a much better position if we were able to retain copyright and have complete control over our music.”